


Star Touches

by DaftNerd



Series: Only Love [3]
Category: The Dragon Prince (Cartoon)
Genre: Adorkable, Awkwardness, Comfort, Established Callum/Rayla (The Dragon Prince), F/M, Fluff, Friendship, Hugs, Humor, Love, Rayllum, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-05
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-18 23:33:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,364
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29865738
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaftNerd/pseuds/DaftNerd
Summary: Rayla is worried about passing her test tomorrow to officially join the Crownguard and can’t relax enough to fall asleep.  Luckily, Callum knows exactly what to do to relieve her tension.And no!  It’s not that!Rayllum fluff, comfort, sweetness and humor.  You don’t need to have read the previous work in this series, but there are a few minor references to stuff that happened there.Set about a month after the previous work in this series which is shortly after the battle at the end of S3.
Relationships: Callum & Rayla (The Dragon Prince), Callum/Rayla (The Dragon Prince)
Series: Only Love [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2139159
Comments: 14
Kudos: 41





	Star Touches

**Author's Note:**

> More gentle sweetness and less embarrassment than the previous two entries in this series. But fear not. Plenty more embarrassment coming later.
> 
> I rated this T for a small amount of innuendo.
> 
> Thanks to everyone who read, kudo’d and commented on the previous works in this series.  
> It really inspires me!

Callum didn’t know how Ez managed to survive these meetings. How could so many adults argue about so many stupid details that didn’t matter. Claudia was still out there with that staff! Who cares whether there should be an import tax on goods from Xadia. They needed to forge an alliance with Xadia to be ready when Claudia makes her move.

Callum hurried back towards his room, glad to be done for the day. The meeting hadn’t ended until late and everyone was exhausted. Even worse, they wanted to meet again tomorrow first thing in the morning. Callum normally didn’t attend all the meetings Ez had to attend but since this one was specifically about an alliance with Xadia, Ez had asked for his help. After experiencing firsthand this torture Ez went through _all_ the time, Callum decided he was going to help more without waiting for Ez to ask.

Callum didn’t think he was as wise as Ez but he did have more experience with Xadia. Mainly due to a certain elf and their journey together.

He nodded to the guards as he entered his room, finding said elf in her pyjamas appearing ready for bed, but pacing the floor and muttering to herself.

“Sorry I’m so late,” Callum called to her. “The meeting ran longer than I thought.”

Rayla seemed so engrossed in her pacing that she didn’t hear him.

“I’m going to wash up and get ready for bed,” he continued, heading for the washroom.

“Okay,” she said quickly, not interrupting her pacing.

Callum washed up and put on his pyjamas only to find Rayla still pacing and muttering.

“Are you alright?” He asked.

“I’m fine,” she replied without looking at him, still pacing.

He interrupted her pacing with a hug. “You can tell me what’s bothering you,” he whispered in her ear.

After a moment, she sighed and hugged him back. “It’s the test tomorrow for joinin’ the Crownguard,” she admitted. “I’m reviewin’ the rules and the history and all the other stuff I need to remember to pass.”

Oh crap! Her test was tomorrow. She’d been training with Soren for the last few weeks. But he’d been so wrapped up in these meetings with Ez that he’d lost track of when her test was. He wasn’t being the Best Boyfriend Ever. He needed to fix that.

He leaned back to look her in the eye. “Are you nervous about the test? Because I can be there with you if you want. I can ask Ez to let me out of the meeting. It’s a frustrating meet-”

“Maybe I’m a wee bit nervous,” she said cutting off his offer. “But Callum, it’s okay. Go to your meeting. Ezran needs you. I’ll be fine.”

She was right. Rayla was the most amazing fighter he’d even know. How could she not pass?

“You’ll be better than fine,” he encouraged. “You’ll be the best Crownguard ever! Soren helped train you and he’s the best. You’ll pass this test easily.”

“But what if I don’t?” She asked softly, her face falling into a frown.

“Then you try again later, right?”

“No!” she replied sharply. “A _human_ could do that and no one would care. But if _I_ fail, everyone will think elves are stupid and incompetent. It could hurt your negotiations for an alliance. The future of the world and the honor of all elves is on my shoulders!” Her head tilted forward and her whole body sagged as if the weight of the world was actually on her shoulders. “And I don’t want to make Soren look like a bad teacher.”

“Is this why I heard you tossing and turning the last few nights?” Callum asked quietly.

“Yeah,” she admitted after a moment.

There was nothing Callum could think of to convince her she didn’t have to worry about passing the test. So, he decided to help how he could. “Then let’s get you to bed early so you’ll get extra sleep tonight.”

“Worth a try,” she said not sounding hopeful. She hugged him tighter than usual and held the hug. “I’m sorry I snapped at you,” she said softly. “I haven’t been sleepin’ well lately ‘cause of this.”

“Don’t worry,” Callum replied. “I get it. Being the only elf in Katolis is hard. I remember how out of place I felt in Xadia. But having you with me made everything better.”

She loosened her hug to lean back enough to study his face. “Really?”

“Yes, really,” he answered with a silly grin. Of course she made everything better. “I love you. No matter what. Whether you pass this test or not.”

She looked at him like she might start crying. “Oh Callum, I love you too.”

She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him into a kiss. He pulled her close, holding her protectively in his arms, kissing her not passionately, but warmly, trying to convey how protective he suddenly felt. She’d lost her family, her people and her country. He wanted her to know she’d never lose him.

They rested their foreheads against each other after they pulled back, smiling at each other for a few moments before Rayla yawned.

“My kisses are boring, huh?” Callum teased. She was usually teasing him and he chuckled at the turnabout.

Rayla gave him a playful smack on the arm. “Dummy,” she said before yawning again. “Sorry, I’m just so tired.”

“Into bed with you then,” Callum replied, taking her hand and leading her to her bed.

He watched Rayla climb into bed before he turned out the light and climbed into his bed, the gentle moonlight bathing the room in a soft black-and-white glow.

Callum lay in bed for a while, listening to Rayla, hoping to hear the steady breathing of her sleeping. Instead, he heard her tossing and turning, apparently unable to get past her worry.

Callum tossed back his covers and shuffled over to her bed.

“Callum, I’m alright,” she said sounding a bit exasperated. “You need to get sleep for your meeting tomorrow.”

Typical Rayla – never admitting she needed help. He sat on the edge of her bed. “Not able to sleep,” he asked.

“I just need more time to relax,” she answered with a sigh. “I’m so tired it’s hard to sleep.”

That reminded him of when Ez was little. After a long and exciting day, especially if he’d missed his nap, Ez would be so exhausted that he would lie in bed and fuss instead of sleeping. Callum reluctantly admitted he’d had trouble falling asleep longer than Ez.

“I know how that is,” he said gently brushing her hair back from her face. “You’re so tired you desperately want to sleep. But you’re anxious that you’re not immediately falling asleep. Which makes it harder to sleep. Which makes you more anxious. It’s a vicious cycle.”

“Yep. I just need to get this test over, _then_ I can sleep.”

He wondered if what used to work on him and Ez would work on Rayla. She _was_ a lot older than they’d been.

“But you need to be rested for your test,” he insisted. “And I have an idea how to relax you.”

“I’m listening,” she said, sounding curious.

“Well… I need to put my hand under you top and touch –”

“You want to touch my boobs?” she asked with a smirk.

“NO!” he exclaimed. “Your _back!_ That’s _all_. Just your _back_. No boobs.”

“Good. Because that wouldn’t relax me.” She smiled and winked at him. Even exhausted she could still mess with him.

“I just touch your back,” he said, ignoring her teasing. “Sort of like I did when you had your period.”

“You _did_ do a great job with the backrub.” She admitted. “And right now, I’m willin’ to try anythin’. Let’s do this. So, should I turn over and lie on my stomach?”

“Yes. And make sure your top is loose on the back.”

Rayla rolled over onto her front with her face turned towards him as Callum sat next to her.

He held the back of her top up as he slipped his other hand under her shirt all the way to her shoulders. He spread his fingers and cupped his hand like he was holding a large ball. Then he gently lowered his hand until the pads of all five fingers lightly touched her back at her left shoulder. 

“Let me know if this helps you relax,” he said.

It took some adjustment to get all fingers with the same almost imperceptible touch. Once he did, he moved his hand slowly across her back to the other shoulder, earning a long sigh from Rayla.

“Callum, that feels incredible.” She muttered. 

He worked his way back and forth, moving slowly down to the waistband of her pyjama bottom.

“Do you need to go lower,” she asked quietly.

“No. This is fine,” he said, moving his hand slowly in the direction of her shoulders.

He continued moving his hand, hovering so just the pads of his fingers lightly skimming her back like a feather ghosting her skin. The tension in her back and shoulders melted under his touch. Her whole body seemed to almost liquify and become a puddle soaking into the bed. 

Then he flattened his hand so his fingers and palm were firmly against her back and rubbed quickly over her whole back like he was rubbing in a lotion. Then he started again with the delicate touches.

“Callum, this feels sooo good.” She mumbled, sounding half asleep already. “Where did you learn this?”

“My mom used to do this for me when I couldn’t sleep,” he replied, still moving his hand. “She said her fingers were brushing stardust on my back. Then she said she had to rub the stardust in with a handful of moonlight.”

“That is so sweet. I love your mom, and I’ve never even met her.”

Callum chucked. 

“Was she able to do this for Ez,” Rayla asked.

“I don’t know, but I’ve done this for him a few times when he was little and too wound up to sleep. There was one time when he stole a dozen jelly tarts and decided to eat all of them after dinner. As you can imagine, he was bouncing off the walls. I tried this and twenty minutes later, he was asleep. Luckily, after the resulting sugar hangover, Ez learned you _can_ have too much of a good thing.”

“You’re a good brother,” Rayla said. “And a good boyfriend.”

“Good is not good enough,” Callum said in mock protest. “I won’t rest until I’m the Best Boyfriend Ever.”

“Callum, you already _are_ the best boyfriend ever.”

“And I intend to say that way,” he said continuing his touches. 

He continued his ministrations in silence, enjoying the feel of her skin under his hand. It made him wonder how his mom felt when she did this for him. “I remember my mom trying to put me to bed and me telling her I wasn’t sleepy when I obviously was. She’d convince me to get me in bed by telling me I didn’t have to sleep, just rest. I’d agree but was sure the stardust and moonlight weren’t going to make me sleepy. But 10 minutes later I’d be snoring.”

“I’m not sleepy…” Rayla said in her best little girl voice.

They both chuckled at her joke.

“That’s fine, he said, playing along. “You don’t have to sleep. Just rest.” 

“Mmmmmm…” she hummed. “Okay.”

Callum continued alternating between the delicate startouches and the rubs of moonlight.

After about ten minutes, Rayla’s breathing slowed into a regular pattern, her back gently rising and falling.

Callum removed his hand and pulled her shirt down over her back then gingerly laid the covers over her, covering her up to her shoulders. He tucked in the edges of the covers slightly like his mom used to do for him.

She seemed to be sleeping so he gently kissed her hair to avoid disturbing her too much. “Goodnight my moonbeam,” he whispered.

An incoherent grunt was all he received in return, then silence.

He smiled as he quietly slid back into his bed, grateful something his mom had passed on to him had helped Rayla. The startouches somehow connected Rayla and his mom – like Rayla had become part of his family.

A broad grin spread across his face as he thought of his mom and Rayla together. They would have liked each other. Both were kind and compassionate. Hated injustice. But also skilled warriors, fiercely protective of those they love. His eyes moistened as he imagined the two of them together, laughing and joking. He chuckled at the thought of them sparring, unsure who would win that contest.

His missed his mom. But he knew he never would’ve met Rayla if the past had been different. It felt like a fairy tale ending, how his past pain turned into his present joy. Thinking about it that way somehow helped him grieve less for his mom.

He glanced over at Rayla’s motionless form, listening to her slow breathing.

She _was_ his joy.

He was determined to be brave, courageous and strong enough to help her, care for her, and protect her.

And most importantly, love her unconditionally.

His mom would be proud.

===========================================================

Rayla was already gone when Callum woke, so he didn’t get to ask her how she slept. Even though the meeting didn’t start very early, he still had to hustle to make it on time.

The meeting was as boring and unproductive as the previous days, which made it hard to pay attention. His mind kept wandering to Rayla. Wondering whether she was rested. If she’d been nervous. And most importantly, how she did on the test.

The hours crawled along, until finally it was time to break for lunch. Most of the meeting members opted to stay in the meeting room and have lunch brought to them. But Callum needed a break, so he headed for the mess hall.

Callum must have looked worried because Ez sidled up next to him. “Don’t you have to stay in your meeting?” Callum asked.

“Nah, I need to clear my head,” Ez replied walking with Callum. “You okay,” Ezran asked, a concerned look on his face.

“Yeah. I’m fine. I’m just worried about Rayla. She had her Crownguard test this morning.”

Ez’s face brightened at the mention of Rayla. He liked having her around. “She’ll easily pass it. She’s amazing!” 

“That’s what I told her last night. But she was still so nervous she couldn’t sleep. So, I used Startouches on her.”

“Wow. I haven’t thought about those in a long time. They were very relaxing,” Ezran said appreciatively. “Did it work?”

“I think so. She seemed to fall right asleep. And I didn’t hear her tossing and turning last night.”

They stepped into the mess hall and were instantly enveloped in the sound of cheering from a large table full of Crownguards.

“Another toast,” said a standing Soren, mug raised. “To Rayla, our newest Crownguard.” He paused for a quick drink from his mug. “She kicked that test’s _ass_! Kicked it all the way to Xadia and then kicked it back!” The slight slurring of his speech showed there’d been a lot of toasts before this one.

“To Rayla!” a raucous chorus of Crownguard voices echoed.

Soren took another gulp from his mug before he noticed Callum and Ezran watching the celebration. “Callum! Ezran! Rayla passed her test,” he hollered across the room.

Rayla, who was sitting next to Soren, caught sight of them. She dropped her mug on the table and leapt up, dashing across the room to smash into Callum, arms tight around his neck. Callum grabbed her around the waist, partly to keep from falling over.

“I passed! I passed!” she repeated over and over, still holding him tightly, spinning them in a circle while bouncing on her toes. Her breath smelled like she’d been toasting a few times too.

Soren ambled over to them, leaving the rest of the Crownguards who continued to celebrate.

Rayla loosened her grip to lean back and give him a kiss. Callum’s eyes widened. He wasn’t expecting that since they were in such a public place. Maybe it was the drink. He kissed her back anyway.

Rayla quickly pulled away. “Callum, thank you so much for helping me relax last night. I slept like a wee babe for the first time in days.”

“Callum helped you relax?” Soren asked.

“Yeah,” Ezran answered helpfully. “Rayla was tense so Callum gave her touches to help her sleep.”

Soren’s eyes widened in surprise, then he elbowed Callum and gave him a very not-subtle wink. “Callum, you stud! Didn’t think you were that fast, but way to go buddy.” He sounded quite impressed.

“SOREN!” Callum exclaimed while Rayla snickered.

Soren seemed confused and taken back by Callum’s response, but then he glanced at Ezran, comprehension slowing spreading across his face.

“Riiight…” Soren said, speech slurred from the drink. “We shouldn’t talk about sex in front of Ezran.”

“Soren, it’s fine,” Ezran assured him. “I know about sex. Corvus already told me all about it. But Callum was just touching Rayla’s back to relax her. Our mom used to do it for Callum when he was tense.”

“Oh.” Soren said. “I was thinking of… you know… never mind…”

Rayla released Callum and turned to him and Ezran. “I want everyone to know that Soren is the best Crownguard trainer ever!” she said, smacking him on the shoulder. “I never woulda passed without his help.”

She turned and wrapped Soren in a hug. “Thanks for trainin’ me. And for bein’ my friend.”

Soren returned the hug. “It was an honor to train such an amazing warrior… and friend,” he replied.

Wow, the drink seemed to make them both sentimental. Callum thought they might start crying any second so he decided to move things along.

“So what’s next,” Callum asked. “Now that you’re an official Crownguard and all?”

“Oooo! Oooo!” Rayla said excitedly as she and Soren parted. “I already got my first assignment.”

“What is it?” Callum asked.

Rayla put both hands on his shoulders and looked him squarely in the eye. “You,” she said with a smirk.

“Me!” Callum cried louder higher pitched than he intended.

“Yup,” she said with a sly smile. “My first assignment is to guard the crown prince.”

Once he was over the surprise, it actually sounded pretty good. They were together most of the time anyway. Now they’d have an official reason for it.

“Sounds great!” Callum enthused. “I love it. Congratulations!”

“Her second assignment,” Soren added with an evil grin, “is to pick up where I left off in your marital training.”

“What!” Callum exclaimed. “I don’t need martial training.” Callum had hoped he was done with that. Embarrassing memories of sparring with Soren and ending up in the dirt came rushing back.

Rayla moved her hands to his biceps and squeezed. “Your mashed potato arms say you do.”

“But I’m a mage now,” he protested.

“Some PT will help build up your flyin’ muscles too,” Rayla countered. “You need arm, shoulder and core strength if you’re goin’ to be flyin’ far.”

“Can’t I just do flying exercises?” he asked hopefully.

“Sorry, buddy,” Soren chimed in. “As head of the Crownguard, it is my duty to protect you as best I can. Crownguard Rayla and I agree that a sword and knowing how to use it could save your life.”

“And don’t think I’m goin’ to go easy on you just because I love you.” Rayla added, still grinning.

They made a good point. His encounter with Kasef still haunted occasionally him. He should be better able to defend himself without magic. But it would be so haaaaard.

Callum turned to Ez. “Do I have to?”

“Sorry Callum,” Ez said, looking more like a parent than a child, “it’s for your own good.”

Apparently, there was no escape.

“When do we start?” he asked, fearing the answer.

“Tomorrow,” Rayla replied, far too cheerfully.

“Noooooooo!” Callum wailed in a very overly dramatic fashion as the other three laughed.

**Author's Note:**

> This technique is for real! Maybe it’s the ape part of our brain responding to social grooming. The back is apparently the most groomed part because it’s hard to reach by yourself. All I can say is it works.
> 
> Try it on any child that is too tired and wound up to fall asleep and they’ll calm down and be out like a light in no time. Works on children of all ages. Even elves that are almost 16 😊
> 
> If you liked this and want more, the previous works in this series contains similar levels of Rayllum adorkableness (spell check says this isn’t a word but I disagree 😐).
> 
> I plan to continue this series with more stories that are cute and fluffy but embarrassing for both Callum and Rayla.
> 
> Because that’s what first teenage love is. 😁
> 
> Feedback is always appreciated!


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